Aircraft high lift systems which actuate and move wing flaps such as landing flaps and leading-edge flaps of the aircraft can get into inadmissible operating conditions or error conditions. For safety reasons, it is necessary to immediately detect these inadmissible operating conditions and preferably communicate the same directly to the pilot.
Inadmissible operating conditions can result for example from                an interruption of a load path of a drive station of a wing flap (“disconnect”),        an interruption in the transmission of the aircraft high lift system,        a jamming of elements of a load path of a drive station (“jam”),        a jamming in the transmission and/or        a skewing of a flap body (“skew”).        
To avoid for example inadmissible loads in the jamming case (“jam”), aircraft high lift systems known from the prior art, as schematically shown in FIG. 1, employ mechanical torque limiters 18.
From DE 103 08 301 B3, an aircraft high lift system with an overload protection is known, which includes a drive system and elements for transmitting the drive energy over the entire wing span to drive stations of individual segments of landing flap/leading-edge flap systems. The overload protection consists of force sensors such as strain gauges and/or load cells arranged at the outlet of the respective drive station or of the actuating gears for the landing flaps or leading-edge flaps. Jamming cases in the actuating gear and/or in the transmission are, however, not detectable with this system.
The US 2006/0060719 A1 relates to an aircraft high lift system with a drive unit, elements for transmitting the drive energy to drive stations of individual segments of landing flap/leading-edge flap systems and with an overload protection, wherein the overload protection includes at least one electrical overload sensor which is arranged in the drive train between the drive unit and an output station.
All known systems have in common that an interruption of the load path merely is detected indirectly via the response of a torque limiter or by means of the resulting obvious skewing of a flap. Depending on the design of the structural components and the drive and guiding elements, the error can also remain unnoticed up to the next maintenance interval.
Furthermore, in the known aircraft high lift systems with mechanical torque limiter a localization of the error location generally can only be effected by visual inspection of the mechanical indications on the load limiters.
It would be desirable, however, to provide for a direct localization of the error location.
Therefore, it is the object of the present disclosure to develop an aircraft high lift system as mentioned above in an advantageous way, in particular to the effect that the same is of simpler and lighter construction due to the omission of heavy and complex components and provides for a localization of the error location independent of where the error is located in the system, i.e. also provides for detecting errors in the actuating gear and/or in the transmission.
In accordance with the present disclosure, this object is solved by an aircraft high lift system with at least one load station for actuating a flap of a wing, for example a landing flap and/or a leading-edge flap, and at least one transmission with transmission portions, which are disposed between branch transmissions, wherein by means of the branch transmissions, actuating energy can be branched off from the transmission to the load station, wherein at least one detection sensor is provided, by which an operating condition of the transmission and/or the load station can directly and/or indirectly be determined, wherein the detection means on the output side of the branch transmission is arranged in the inlet of the load station and/or in a transmission portion. Accordingly, it is provided that an aircraft high lift system includes at least one load station for actuating a wing flap, for example a landing flap and/or a leading-edge flap, and at least one transmission with transmission portions located between branch transmissions, wherein by means of the branch transmissions actuating energy can be branched off from the transmission to the load station. At least one detection means is provided, by means of which the operating condition of the transmission and/or the load station can directly and/or indirectly be determined, wherein the detection means on the output side of the branch transmission is arranged in the inlet of the load station and/or in a transmission portion.
This provides the advantage that a simple construction of the aircraft high lift system becomes possible. At the same time, a localization of a possible error is facilitated, since by assigning the signal to the detection means, whose arrangement in turn is known, the error location within the system is easily communicated. Furthermore, it is particularly advantageous that the error and also the error location can directly be communicated to the pilot.
Furthermore, it can be provided that by means of the detection means the torque applied and/or the time course of the torque can be detected and/or that the detection means is a torque sensor. This provides the advantage that the easily evaluatable characteristic of the torque or torque profile can be utilized for determining the operating condition and correspondingly also for faulty operating conditions. In the aircraft high lift system, reference values and/or curves or patterns for example can be stored in suitable means, which can be matched with current values. By such indirect evaluation, detailed conclusions as to the operating condition can already be made possible with a small number of detection means. Moreover, by means of the reference values and/or curves or patterns a detailed statement as to the kind of error and the error location in one and/or both of the load stations of a flap can already be made possible with only one single detection means.
It is furthermore conceivable that no mechanical torque limiter is present, in particular that no mechanical torque limiter is present on the output side of a transfer gear in the transmission branching off actuating energy provided by a central drive unit and/or that no mechanical torque limiter is present in a load station. This provides the advantage that the aircraft high lift system can be constructed simpler and lighter in weight. Due to the omission of the highly complex and heavy components, the prime costs, but also the maintenance costs are decreased, since the maintenance requirements can be reduced in addition.
Moreover, it is conceivable that an evaluation unit is provided, which has a signal connection with the at least one detection means and by means of which the signals of the detection means can be evaluated, in order to determine an operating condition. Advantageously, reference values and/or curves or patterns with respect to correct operating conditions and faulty operating conditions are stored in the evaluation unit or can be retrieved by the evaluation unit. It is furthermore conceivable that the evaluation unit logs its determination results and stores the same in a memory. Furthermore, the evaluation unit can communicate the current operating conditions to the pilot and also possibly issue warnings in the case of faulty operating conditions via an output unit such as a monitor or a control instrument in the cockpit.
Furthermore, it can be provided that the evaluation unit is a central evaluation unit which has a signal connection with all detection means of the aircraft high lift system. Thus, the information from the detection means of the left and right wing advantageously can be evaluated together in the central evaluation unit.
It is furthermore possible that a load station includes a station actuator and a spindle with a spindle nut, wherein the station actuator transmits the actuating torque to the spindle and the spindle nut converts the rotatory movement into a translational movement for the flap, and that the detection means in the load station is arranged before the station actuator.
It can also be provided that the transmission portion is a transmission portion between the branch transmissions of two load stations associated to a flap.
It is furthermore conceivable that by means of the detection means arranged in this transmission portion the torque applied there and/or the time course of the torque can be determined.
It can advantageously be provided that by monitoring the ratio of the load components of the load stations faulty operating conditions can be determined by means of the evaluation unit and/or that by monitoring and comparing pairs of the actuating forces applied at the load stations of the left and right wing of the aircraft faulty operating conditions can be determined by means of the evaluation unit and/or that by including the current values for wing configuration, the aircraft weight, the airspeed and/or the temperature a desired value for the actuating force applied at the load stations can be determined by means of the evaluation unit, and that by matching the actual values determined with the calculated desired values faulty operating conditions can be determined by means of the evaluation unit.
In particular, it is advantageous when by direct and/or indirect comparison of the load components of two load stations                a jamming case in one of the load stations of two load stations associated to a flap can be determined by means of a rising operating torque in the first load station associated to the flap with constant operating torque of the second load station associated to the flap and/or        an interruption of a load path in a first load station associated to a flap can be determined by means of the presence of the entire load on the intact load path of the second load station associated to the flap and/or        a skewing of the flap after an interruption or a jump in the time course of the applied torque in a load station associated to the flap can be determined and/or        an interruption in the transmission portion between the flaps can be determined by means of a torque decrease at both load stations by using at least one signal from position measuring means for determining the flap position and/or        an interruption of the transmission portion between the load stations of the outer flap can be determined by means of the reaction of the inner load station and/or        an interruption of the transmission portion between the load stations of the inner flap can be determined by means of a change in the ratios of the load components of the load stations of the inner and outer flap by using the evaluation unit.        
Furthermore, the present disclosure relates to a method for determining an operating condition of an aircraft high lift system with at least one load station for actuating a flap of a wing, preferably a landing flap and/or leading-edge flap, and at least one transmission for transmitting actuating energy to the load stations, wherein with reference to the torque applied at the transmission and/or in the load station and/or the time course of the torque the operating condition of the aircraft high lift system is determined directly and/or indirectly. Accordingly, it is provided that in a method for determining an operating condition of an aircraft high lift system with at least one load station for actuating a wing flap, preferably landing flap and/or leading-edge flap, and at least one transmission for transmitting actuating energy to the load stations by means of the torque applied at the transmission and/or in the load station and/or the time course of the torque the operating condition of the aircraft high lift system is directly and/or indirectly determined.
Furthermore, it is conceivable that by monitoring and comparing pairs of the actuating forces applied at the load stations of the left and right wing of the aircraft faulty operating conditions are determined and/or that by including the current values for wing configuration, the aircraft weight, the airspeed and/or the temperature a desired value for the actuating force applied at the load stations is determined, and that by matching the actual values determined with the calculated desired values faulty operating conditions are determined.
In addition, it can be provided that by monitoring the ratio of the load components of the load stations faulty operating conditions are determined.
Furthermore it is possible that by direct and/or indirect comparison of the load components of two load stations                a jamming case in one of the load stations of two load stations associated to a flap is determined by means of a rising operating torque in the first load station associated to the flap with constant operating torque of the second load station associated to the flap and/or        an interruption of a load path in a first load station associated to a flap is determined by means of the presence of the entire load on the intact load path of the second load station associated to the flap and/or        a skewing of the flap after an interruption or a jump in the time course of the applied torque in a load station associated to the flap is determined and/or        an interruption in the transmission portion between the flaps is determined by means of a torque decrease at both load stations by using at least one signal from position measuring means for determining the flap position and/or        an interruption of the transmission portion between the load stations of the outer flap is determined by means of the reaction of the inner load station and/or        an interruption of the transmission portion between the load stations of the inner flap is determined by means of a change in the ratios of the load components of the load stations of the inner and outer flap.        
Advantageously, the method is performed with the aircraft high lift system described herein.
Further details and advantages of the present disclosure will now be explained in detail with reference to an embodiment illustrated in the drawing.